Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

Okay. Thank you very much. We will now reconvene, and I'll turn it over to the clerk of the board to make a statement about virtual participation.

Thank you, chair Lawson Reamer. Before we begin this afternoon session, I would like to note for the record that supervisor and vice chair Montgomery Stepp is participating via teleconference. As such, all votes will be handed by a roll call vote. So at this time, supervisor Montgomery Stepp will make a statement about participating remotely and disclose whether anyone over the age of 18 is in the room with her as well as the relationship to the supervisor.

Thank you, Clerk and Sherrias. I am currently participating in this meeting virtually, and no one, is in the room, including any adults over 18.

Okay. Thank you very much. So we begin as we reconvene with discussion item 15, expanding community led violence prevention in Spring Valley with no shots fired. And I'll turn the floor over to vice chair Montgomery Stepp, whose item this is, to make introductory remarks.

Thank you very much, chair. And just I want to, let everyone know that I'm I am having some Internet issues where I am, and so, hopefully, we can get through this, without a a glitch. But I am excited to present the no shots fired program by Shafat outreach to the county. It's a successful program that I have previously championed during my time as a city council member. Each year, gun violence costs millions of dollars in wrecked and indirect crimes and the cost of criminal justice system.

In fact, a recent cost of gun violence report found that just one fatal shooting cost the government roughly $4,000,000, while one nonfatal shooting cost the government roughly $1,300,000. In contrast, community based intervention programs like no shots fired represent a fraction of those costs and offer a proven solution. At the city of San Diego, this program was demonstrated, to be consistent, measurable and have measurable success in reducing violence and strengthening community safety by expanding the no shots for fire program to the county, specifically in Spring Valley. We can expect not only a measurable decline in shootings, but also improvements in public safety perception, school engagement, and workforce participation among high school youth or and high risk youth. This item seeks to provide 250,000 in annual funding to Shafaa Outreach to expand the No Shots Fired program to enhance capacity, deepen impact, and sustain the region's community violence intervention and prevention infrastructure.

Key components of No Shots Fired include interactive journaling through the achievement center in Spring Valley, outreach in the form of violence interruption and meeting with local stakeholders and case management support for individuals identified during this this process and through this program. Shafat Outreach will also provide an annual report to the board to demonstrate cost of. So now I'm a last turn over to Chubbarnathis Bowser for presentation. And I hope that, I can get part of my colleague for the item.

Thank you very much. We'll now turn to public comment.

Thank you. We'll first invite the presenter Cornelius Bauser, the vice chair has indicated will come and give the presentation. Thank you.

You can actually go to slide two. We're gonna show two slides. Good afternoon, esteemed members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name, I'm Bishop Cornelius Bauser, and I'm the director of Shafad Outreach.

I'm here on behalf of our organization to present a vital community driven solution to one of our most urgent public crisis, safety crisis, gun violence in San Diego County. Specifically, I want to highlight the no shots fired program and emphasize the critical need for your support to expand and institutionalize this life saving initiative beginning in Spring Valley and extending across our region. Gun violence remains one of the most pressing and costly challenges facing our community. According to the 2025 cause of violence report commissioned by Shafat Outreach and produced by the National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform, as you see up there on the screen there. Each fatal shooting in San Diego costs taxpayers approximately $4,500,000 covering medical expenses, law enforcement, incarceration, and social services.

Non fatal shootings, which number over 166 annually, cost around $1,300,000 You could go to the next slide. Altogether, these shootings cost our residents over $411,000,000 per year. This staggering figure highlights not just the human toll, but the tremendous financial burden gun violence place in our community. The burden of gun violence disproportionately affect black and Latino communities. For example, between 2017 and 2022, the firearm homicide rate for black San Diego's was nearly 10 times higher than that for white residents.

These disparities are rooted in systemic inequalities, disinvestment, and trauma that perpetuate cycles of violence. According to the 2024 crime in the San Diego region bulletin from SANDAG, it shows alarming trends over a 127,000 crimes against persons, properties, and society in our region last in in in 2023, with a 4% increase in homicides and a 6% rise in crime involving firearms and drugs. About twenty three percent of homicides where motives are known are gang related, underscoring the persistent link between community violence and gang activity. This trend demands a shift from reactive system to preventive. Community led solutions approaches that that address risk factor before violence occur rather than solely responding upon and after tragedies happen.

This is where the no shots fired program comes in. Since its inception in 2021, the no shots fired has proven to be powerful community based model that addresses gun violence through street outreach, crisis intervention, conflict mediation, wraparound case management, and cognitive behavioral therapy based journaling. Our credible messengers, known as violence interrupters, are trusted community members who lived who have lived experience with gangs, incarceration, and violence. They mediate conflicts before they escalate, mentor youth, and connect families with vital services, preventing violence at its earliest stage. Our outreach includes community walks, peace building events, and partnerships with schools, courts, law enforcement, and health agencies, all focused on strengthening protective factors and reducing conflict.

The impact is tangible. Community residents report a significant decrease in gunfire. Some neighborhoods experience weeks without a single shooting. One resident shared, and I quote, the gang shootings have decreased so much I feel safer. I'm still alive, and I thank you for the work you're doing, end of quote.

Our team has responded to 99 shooting incidents providing critical support to victims and families. We've also conducted 440 street outreach and mentoring sessions helping hundreds of youth avoid violence and trauma. Investing in a no shots fire is not just compassionate, it makes economic sense. The cost of violence report illustrate that reducing gun violence by just 20% could save $82,000,000 a year by reducing emergency response, medical costs, and criminal justice expenses. For example, serving 60 youth annually at around 4,000 each costs approximately $240,000, a small investment compared to the $4,000,000 cost of a single homicide.

Preventing just one murder saves millions, demonstrating that community led prevention is a high return in invest in investment strategy. Currently, no shots fire operate through city partnerships and community grants, but to truly scale and sustain efforts, we need formal county support and funding. With your investments, we can formalize our partnership with the county achievement centers, especially in Spring Valley. Enhanced staffing, data tracking, and behavioral health services reach more youth at the highest risk, those often overlooked by traditional systems. Continued support of reducing violence, trauma, and community disinvestment is what we can offer.

With county backing, no shots fired can become a regional model for violence prevention, saving lives, rebuilding trust, and creating safer neighborhoods. So in closing, I want to emphasize that gun violence is not inevitable. Through community led efforts like the No Shots Fire program, we have seen results, real results, fewer shootings, safer neighborhoods, and lives transformed. But we cannot do this alone. We need your leadership and support to institutionalize and expand this proven model.

In conclusion conclusion, I'd like to thank supervisor Montgomery Stepp for her tireless effort to establish the No Shots Fire program as a county funded initiative. Her leadership has been instrumental in setting the stage for broader impact. With your support, we can help prevent gun violence, support our most vulnerable residents, and build safer and stronger communities. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

We'll now proceed with the individuals that requested to speak on this item. We have eight sixteen requests to speak, eight in person, and eight requesting to speak by phone. Also note for the record that we received 12 e comments, 11 in support and none in opposition, and one neutral comment. For any individuals that requested to speak on item 15 by phone, please dial into the conference line using the instructions that were provided to you. We'll begin with the in person speakers.

As your name is called, please come forward and stand on the arrows until it is your turn to speak at the podium. Because there are 10 or more speakers on this item, you'll have one minute to address the board. I'll be calling you in groups of three, so I'll ask you to please listen for your name. I'd like to invite for the first three individuals, Tiffany Harrison, Therese Heimer, and KB Harris. If I've called your name, please come forward.

You can come forward in any order. Thank you.

Yes. Tiffany's not here. Hi. I am Therese Heimer, president of San Diegans for gun violence prevention. We are an alliance of 19 organizations. A number of our member organizations do community violence intervention work, including Shafat outreach. Community led violence intervention is a critical part of public safety work by government. It stops harm before it happens. It is a wise public health approach to ending gun violence. San Diego County's studies of gun violence authorized by this board have found that Spring Valley has one of the highest rates of gun violence in this county.

The violence interrupters who do this difficult work are focused on preventing the type of harm that they know from personal lived experience. They make a difference in the work they do every day. Please vote yes to begin this pilot program. Thank you.

Thank you. As the next speaker is coming forward, I'll invite three additional speakers, Michael Singletary, Jeffrey Raya, and Robert Wood. If I've called your name, please move forward.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Lieutenant Kimon Harris. I'm with the San Diego Sheriff's Office and I am one of the lieutenants assigned to the Rancho San Diego Station, which covers Spring Valley. First and foremost, I wanna thank Bishop Bowser, the No Shots Fire program, Montgomery Steps office, and the rest of the board of supervisors for inviting us here today, the San Diego Sheriff's Office, to speak. Representing the Spring Valley area, I just want to say that us, the San Diego Sheriff's Office, we are excited and happy to work with all of our community partners to help make our community safe, make the quality of life better for the residents of Spring Valley.

Bishop Bowser has my contact information, Any assistance that we can be with this program to make it successful, we are on board.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon. My name is Michael Singletary. I am part of the No Shot Fire program, have been since its inception. I want to thank you guys for having us here today. And what I want to say is that, you know, when it comes to the cost of these particular homicides, we would come to the conclusion that if you guys fund a pilot program such as ours, that we can lower some of that cost for the county.

You know, some of that money can go into other coffers and do some other things, you know, some other positive things in other programs or what so forth. This program is extremely important, especially to the region and to the neighborhoods that we serve. So, I really urge you guys to take a real, real good look at this program and an extremely serious consideration for starting this pilot program, because we do a lot of work, and it's hard work, you know, and it's dangerous work, you know. But, some of us are willing to risk our safety to go out there for the safety of others, you guys included. Okay? So, thank you guys for having me.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Good morning, everyone. First and foremost, I want to thank my gratitude to supervisor Montgomery Stepp, everybody here on the board.

Can you please state your name?

Yeah. My name is Jeffrey Reyes. Sorry. I'm also a colleague of Michael. I work for Shafad Outreach.

I've I have the privilege to be able to help a lot of youth, young adults heal from trauma, using a lot of my lived experience as a former convicted felon gang member, and now bringing something positive to our community. Know, so I just wanna thank you guys for this opportunity. I know a lot of families have been impacted in a positive way through the type of work that we're doing as we are the boots on the ground. We are here to, you know, make a change in the right direction. We want people to continue to learn how to make better decisions in their life.

So, we're grateful that also the law enforcement is is here backing us up and, you know, just everyone that's here Thank you. This morning.

Thank you. Thank you. As the next speaker is coming forward, I'd like to invite the remaining speakers in person, Tatiana Mendoza, Alvin Hayes, and Bevelyn Bravo. If I've called your name, please come forward.

Hi. My name is Robert Wood. I'm a community based public safety professional with Shafight Outreach. First of all, I'd like to thank Monica Montgomery for kinda bringing us here, and thank you guys for listening to us. What I'd like to say is people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

And the youth in Spring Valley and all over San Diego County need to know how much people who have been in the same situations as them care. Like, if you've been an at risk youth yourself, and now you're reaching out to at risk youths, you jive with them. They understand you. So having people that understand them dealing with them, having people to understand gang involved populations deal with gang involved populations is different than having law enforcement deal with them. There are two different things going on there. One of the things that happens is we have access to people, and we have access to getting them to stop before they even do it. We don't have to respond when something happens. We respond prior to what happened in an interventionary method.

Thank you. Time is up. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon, chairs and supervisors. My name is Tiffany Harrison, deputy chief of staff to San Diego City Councilmember Henry L. Foster III, and I am here today on his behalf in strong support of expansion of the no shot fired at the county level, including in unincorporated communities. The city of San Diego began funding no shots fired in 2022 through the San Diego Police Department budget after it was championed by then council member Monica Montgomery Sipp. Since then, bishop Bowser and his team have led important violence intervention, outreach, retaliation prevention, and the escalation efforts in the community.

In the program's first year, gang related violence in the city declined, and SDPD has continued investing in the program as these positive trends have continued. We urge the county to support and align with no shots fired because this work is helping strengthen our communities. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Hi. My name is Tatiana Mendoza. I am a former resident of Spring Valley. I grew up I went to Monte Vista High School, and I had lots of family that went to Mount Miguel. I remember one time at after a football game, we went to get Mexican food, and someone drove past the Mexican restaurant with a gun out the window. We all had a duck and cover. Having peace of mind for children to celebrate after winning a football game is very important, and I'm in support of no shots fired being expanded into Spring Valley and in the county. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Alright. Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Alvin Hayes, and I'm also from Shafad Outreach, No Shots Fire program. I've been with the program for about three years and and a few months now. And by way of prison.

I'm one of those lived experiences. I did a long stint in prison, stayed in contact with bishop Bowser, let him know my desire to wanna come out and help the community. And that's exactly what I'm doing today with doing street outreach. At one moment, it was mentioned about the dangerousness, and I was one of the one of the victims of a gang violence. It was a drive by shooting on January 9, and I end up getting shot.

And another gentleman ended up getting shot while doing street outreach. So the danger is the danger is out there, but I'm not gonna let it deter me from doing what it is that I would like to do for the community, what I have to do for the community. You know, and I wanna I wanna thank miss Montgomery Stepp and everyone here on the panel.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Hello. My name is Bevelyn Bravo. I am the CEO of Mothers With A Message. I'm a mother who lost a son to gang violence on 05/18/2012, and Bishop was there when my son was murdered. I partnered with Bishop throughout the years and working with families that have been affected by a violent crime. As we respond at the scene or at the hospital, I'm comforting the family while Bishop Bowser and the team work hard at figuring out the who and the what to prevent gang retaliation. We don't want any more victims or young offenders. No one is able to come into our communities to do this unless you have that lived experience and can relate. No shots fired is an important program. Not everybody can do this kind of work.

I don't want any more mothers in my position losing their sons or daughters to death or the prison system. I hope you're considering funding no shots fired. Thank you everybody that' been supporting this. Thank you to supervisor mcmurray and everybody that feels this is important. Thank you.

Thank you. We' now hear from the individuals that requested to speak by phone. We'll begin with our first caller.

Gambler here. How are you guys doing? Making all these arrangements so that the people don't really have the opportunity to talk. And and people really didn't talk last time, but we only had one minute. So can we go ahead and get another minute? No. That's exactly what took place. You get a bunch of people to call in that have no intentions of calling in so that you can limit people's talk. I don't understand how this is correct. I don't understand how you guys could exploit your power, try to throw people in jail just for disagreeing with your demanding an answer.

I mean, with all the document and things, you should have just taken a look at it at least one time, but you refused to go ahead and do it. And when you acknowledge the problem with voter fraud happening through the registration process, as a matter of fact, happening through Havah, you say you're gonna do an investigation and then immediately go to go ahead and try to throw me in jail. I don't understand why. Because I said I was gonna run for district. I I could be better supervisor than all five of you combined with the data that I have knowing what

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Hey. It's truth. We're supposed to believe that violence via guns is the number one issue in anti gun California even though it was admitted that gangs are behind the majority of shootings, and that only if Monica's friends get an unlimited amount of tax dollars will gang violence stop. And if Shafad don't get millions, it will cost us even more money. Is this the cartel masquerading its county government?

How about we bring back the death penalty for any criminal engaged in violence, much cheaper and a way better preventative? Chefat and Corsic are both city of San Diego entities and are yet another city of San Diego bailout. And considering that they're collaborators with the San Diego organizing project, that means they're also political biased as the STOP are essentially democrat operatives who've been organizing the anti ICE extremists. I'm not hating on the programs, but I am hating on the systems of control because much like violence, the county's corruption spreads like a public health contagion. And on a side note, Monica, when are you gonna bring something forward that's actually positive about black Americans? Please escape your own self created chains of a victimhood mentality enslavement.

I'll hear from the next caller.

How sad is it because if you guys were actually improving the quality of life of our communities instead of, you know, causing severe detriment on a regular basis, then maybe things like this wouldn't happen. And it's very concerning when, you know, these entities are engaging with law enforcement when they actually perpetrate violence upon the people and, you know, unload their weapons and, you know, kill the people in the community. And they're even trained to, you know, be able to handle certain situations, yet they go rogue all the time. And, you know, this is really I mean, you guys just wanna take the guns out of people's hands, which is really sad because it's all about control. That's what it's always about.

And anytime you guys get money, it's like, is this really gonna stop the problem? You know, who knows? Or it's probably just going to fill pockets while, you know, you guys continue to destroy things and wonder why our communities are, you know, running rampant like that. Again, if you weren't doing that and you were making things better, this kind of shit wouldn't happen. But, you know, go ahead and bail the

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Hello? Is this happening?

So it looks like we're going back to 02/2023 for our statistics as the board letter says. The violent crime rate of 4.4 points per thousand residents in 2023 is comparable to rates in the nineteen seventies and early two thousands. According to the national incident based reporting system, there were 39 homicides in 2025. The overall rate is declining in San Diego as one of the safest cities in the country. With that said, January 9 memo from the city's budget analyst said no shots fired consistently meet annual performance metrics within first three or four months of the fiscal year.

CHAP has sounds like a good program. Let's say

We'll hear from the final caller.

This is Andrea Ubing, and it's a little contradictory that we I I appreciate that we have this program, I think it's necessary. But I also think it's necessary that we have a district attorney that enforces the law and doesn't contribute to gun violence by taking millions upon millions upon millions of dollars when she's not even campaigning through the San Diego gun owners pack. And then she she took she pays the the pack Michael Michael Schwartz leader $282,000 a year, took $84,000 from the O'Hamill to avoid jail time in his illegal arms case. The Dallas Marston gun Poway synagogue shooting, She took money from the guy that sold the kids the gun. She also took money from Lenny McGill ghost gun case from Glock Store.

Yeah. I mean, she's a complete criminal. And with her in office, we're just gonna be doing all these bandages to fix and try and heal the community, but she loves creating cases and baits and traps for, for victims to be revictimized and then individual

Thank you. And, chair Lawson Riemer, that concludes public comment on this item.

Okay. Supervisor Desmond had, some comments.

Well, I I have a question and and then a couple of comments. I heard, the Internet was a little little glitchy when supervisor Montgomery Step was making her presentation. I thought I heard that there was gonna be annual reports on the program. Is that what I thought I heard you say? Because I I didn't see that in the recommendation at all about any reports. So I and I don't know if it has to be annually or not, but I would like to see reports of how the how the program is working.

Alternate.

Yeah. Chair, if if I may, yes. They the, provided that this passes, Shafat Outreach will be reporting back to the board. So, yes, that is accurate. Sorry about the Internet. I'm trying to turn my video off just so, hopefully, my voice is a little bit more clear.

Well, I I guess as a follow-up is that annually or or every yes. I'd I'd be fine with every three years. It's a six year entity package. But so I'm just curious the duration or the intervals of the of the reports. Because I want us to know what's working, what's not working, and and if we can can improve along the way.

Yes. Annual reporting is required according to recommendation three starting in 2027. So yes.

Okay. Well, thank you. And then thanks for bringing this forward. I think it's it's very worthy, and we gotta do everything we can to reduce violence in our communities. I mean and and I really appreciate those with the lived experiences that, you know, people can relate. Unfortunately, you can relate better to to people going through what you went through. And so I think that's very important, and, hopefully, they'll listen to you. And so I appreciate that, and I'll I'll be supporting the program. I think this is great, and and hopefully, it works here well, and then maybe we can expand it beyond Spring Valley. But thank you for bringing this forward.

Thank you.

Supervisor Guri. Thank you, madam chair. I'm happy to support this item. This is the kind of public safety investment our county should be doing. It recognizes that keeping neighborhood safe is not only about what happens after violence occurs. It is also about who is trusted enough to step in before violence happens. Who can deescalate conflict? Who can mentor a young person at the right moment? And who can help someone believe path is possible. That's why lived experience matters so much in this work.

There are people in our communities who can reach young people and system impacted individuals in ways others simply can't. They understand the pressure, the trauma, the grief as we heard today, and the choices that can lead someone deeper into violence or away from it. And when that lived experience is paired with accountability, mentorship, support, and real community trust, it becomes one of the most powerful tools we have for prevention. I also represent part of Spring Valley and I've heard directly from constituents, community leaders, deputies, and families about the public safety concerns they are carrying. But I've also heard strong support for approaches like this, approaches that keep our neighborhood safe while also surrounding our youth and young adults with the restorative support they need to make different choices.

I just wanna take a moment to thank all the folks who have carried this work for years, the lived experience mentors, faith leaders, and law enforcement partners who have shown up again and again. You supported this work in the city of San Diego. You're supporting it through the juvenile justice ad hoc subcommittee and across the county when your help is needed. And vice chair, I wanna give you a special recognition. Your commitment to this work did not start when you were elected.

You've been deeply rooted in these reform efforts and in the movement for a long time. There is no question that people's lives have changed for the better, communities have become safer, and people who were once pushed to the margins now margins now have a seat at the table and in many cases are leading the way. So thank you so much for your leadership on this item, and I'm happy to support it. Thank you.

We need a motion.

Well, I wanna defer to

I'm sorry. I moved the item.

Okay. Great. We have a motion from the vice chair and a second from the chair pro tem. Please vote.

And we'll take an oral vote. Thank you. Supervisor Desmond? Yes. Chair pro tem Aguirre?

Yes.

Vice chair Montgomery Stepp? Yes. And chair Lawson Reamer?

Yes.

The motion passes unanimously with all supervisors who are present voting aye.

Okay. Thank you very much. And really thank you to the community members who came to participate. It's really important. It's good to see you guys here. Okay. We now move on to our next item, item 14. Vice chair Montgomery Stepp, would you like to make introductory remarks, or would you like me to start?

Plea please start.

Okay. Hold on. Let me get myself organized.

For the record, item 14 is entitled investing in arts, culture, and creative opportunities for all.

Okay. Thank you very much. So this is an item that I'm very proud to bring forward with my colleague, vice chair Montgomery Stepp, and it's really been a labor of love. Coming together with so many community members who've invested in their time and their heart and their soul and trying to think about what do we need in San Diego County to uplift the arts and the kind of artistic endeavors that help communities thrive. They'd really uplift community voices and that center the cultures and the diverse cultures of our region.

So we are today proposing a historic investment in arts and culture for San Diego County and across San Diego County. We began working on this board letter many months ago because arts and culture is not an extra. It is part of what makes a community alive. Arts give young people creative outlets and places to belong. Arts brings people together, neighbors together, preserve stories, traditions, identities that make communities feel connected to one another.

One of my favorite parts of San Diego is Barrio Logan, the sister Chavez Park, which was created and embodied through artistic expression, a takeover of a neighborhood that had been bisected and dissected by a freeway. And the community took it back and painted extraordinary inspiring murals, that uplifted the struggles and the identities of the people who were negatively impacted by a freeway that cut through their community and planted gardens and created a space where community was centered, despite the presence of huge freeway limbs that had now extended and dissected their community. The county administration center, likewise, where we sit today, embodies the principle that arts and investments in the arts and specifically public investments in arts and culture can come at a time when people are divided and feel hopeless and can be of an avenue and a vehicle to bring people together and to uplift the best in ourselves. Our building that we are so lucky to occupy every single day with was built during the New Deal. It is gorgeous, but it is also architecturally significant on the National Register of Historic Places and home to major public artworks.

It makes our waterfront one of our region's most cherished spaces, and it was constructed by people who, at the moment, desperately needed jobs. And instead of thinking about jobs and culture as in competition, the New Deal ensured the jobs and the well-being of our community was in alignment and could help uplift the voices and vision and artistic expression of our region. Arts and culture should, can, and must support local jobs and small businesses, create vibrant neighborhoods that attract visitors, and make a place feel alive instead of dead. San Diego County nonprofit arts and cultural organizations contribute $1,400,000,000 a year in economic activity and support nearly 20,000 jobs every year. Creative industries more broadly contribute nearly $11,000,000,000 to our regional economy and support roughly a 170,000 jobs directly and indirectly.

This proposal is about making sure that more people, especially young people, have a chance to discover and express their own creativity. Not everyone grows up thinking of themselves as an artist, but every community is full of people with stories to tell, music to make, ideas to share, cultures to celebrate, and talent waiting to be discovered. Part of building strong and healthy communities is creating pathways for people to tap into our shared creativity and belonging. So the goal of this board letter is to expand opportunities for artists and cultural organizations, especially those who've long been underrepresented, to activate public spaces, to support creative small businesses, and make arts and culture more accessible and inclusive across San Diego County. Today's item directs the CAO to implement the investing in San Diego County Arts Cultural Initiative in partnership with county departments and the San Diego County Arts and Culture Commission.

It includes an artist grant program, an artist in residence program within our county, an artist based grants program, a binational creative economy investment, a county arts and cultural district designation program, and a historic investment in a black arts and culture district. San Diego County's art and cultural ecosystem is unfortunately currently in a precarious position. If we fail to act, the first thing many communities lose are affordable creative spaces, neighborhood programs, performances, cultural events, and youth opportunities that allow people to feel connected and seen and belonging. When these spaces disappear, communities become more isolated, traditions fade, but most unfortunately, young people lose places to build confidence, relationships, and connection, and retreat to Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. The investing in San Diego County arts and cultural initiative will strengthen not only artists and cultural practitioners, but the broader communities around them, supporting local workers and businesses, activating public spaces, and helping build a San Diego County where people are inspired, connected, and proud of where they live.

So with that, I'd like to turn the floor over to vice chair Montgomery Stepp.

Again, just so that this is not painful for you all, turning off, the video, and, hopefully, my voice will come in clearer. Thank you so much, chair Lawson Riemer, for working on this board letter with me. I wanna take a moment to highlight a few of the vest investments mentioned in this board letter. Also, just wanna quickly thank our, both of our offices and the staff members that have been working on this for probably about a year. So I'm proud to co lead the the the cultural district designation program and the targeted investment in the Black Arts And Culture District, both of which serve as instruments for advancing equity, cultural preservation, and inclusive economic development.

Cultural districts affirm the historical and ongoing contributions of communities while establishing a framework for coordinated investment, cross agency alignment, and long terms term sustainability. Historically underserved communities, the designation is a corrective measure that directs resources, visibility, and opportunity where they have been systematically limited. The Black Arts And Culture District demonstrates the measurable impact of intentional investment, fostering creative spaces, supporting black owned enterprises, and strengthening community based cultural assets. Today's investment represents a necessary and tangible commitment to infrastructure and economic vitality within a community that has long served as a cultural anchor. Complimentary programs within this initiative, including direct artist grants, artists in residence placements within county departments, and binational creative economy investments, further institutionalize support for innovation, access, and regional collaboration all across the region.

These investments are not solely cultural in nature. They are economic drivers that enhance tourism, workforce development, and the county's overall quality of life. By advancing this initiative, the county affirms its commitment to equity, inclusion, and the preservation of cultural heritage as integral components of public policy. I extend my appreciation to our arts and culture partners whose advocacy and collaboration have made this effort possible. Thank you, and I'll turn it, back over to you, chair Lawson Reamer.

Okay. Thank you very much. With that, I'd like to make a motion.

And I will second.

Fantastic. And we'll go to public comment.

Thank you, chair Lawson Reamer. We have 22 requests to speak on this item, 12 in person and 10 requesting to speak by phone. Also note for the record that we received 40 e comments, 37 of those in support and two in opposition. For any individuals that requested to speak on item 14 by phone, please dial into the conference line using the instructions that were provided to you. We'll begin with the in person speakers.

As your name is called, please come forward and stand on the arrows until it is your turn to speak at the podium. Because there are 10 or more speakers on this item, you'll have one minute to address the board, and I'll ask you to begin by stating your name for the audio record. I'll be calling you in groups of three, so I will ask you to please listen for your name. I'd like to invite for the first three individuals, Tiffany Harrison, Jay Bell, and James Gilliam. If I've called your name, please come forward.

Jay Bell, good afternoon, supervisors and chair, Tara Lawson Riemer. I'm here in strong support of the Investing in San Diego Arts and Culture, Creative Opportunities for All. I am a county arts commissioner, and I strongly have survived on and believed in that the noblest motive is the public good. And that means nothing unless we step up and take care of all communities throughout San Diego County. As both a business person and an artist, I'm committed to economic equity and social justice.

I see this action not as just the right thing to do, but a smart investment in our regional economy and our democracy. In the North County Of San Diego, we depend upon the county. We depend upon the county for our cultural institutions. We depend upon the county for our public safety, and we depend upon the county to step up and support us in the arts. This includes our beautiful cities that have been vibrant in the arts throughout Oceanside, Ramona, Fallbrook, Vista, Encinitas, and we ask you to support this countywide measure today. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon. My name is Tiffany Harrison, deputy chief of staff for councilmember Helio Foster III, and I'm here today on his behalf in support of item 14, investing in arts, culture, creative opportunity for all. First, I want to thank supervisor Montgomery Stepp and Terrell Osramer for bringing this item forward today on June 2022 under the leadership of the then council members Monica Montgomery Stepp, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved the San Diego Black Arts and Culture District located in Canto between 61st And 69th Street. Since then, countless community members have rallied to make this vision a reality and a strategic plan has been created. However, we need investment in today's action will greatly enhance the work so many are doing to create a vibrant community space.

Therefore, we urge the board to support this item today as it will support economic development and the cultural preservation of the San Diego Black Arts And Culture District and the artist community. Thank you so much.

Thank you. As the next speaker is coming to the podium, I'd like to invite three additional speakers. Charlene O'Keefe, Derek Banks, and Ardell Matthews. If I've called your name, please come forward.

Good afternoon, chair Lawson Reamer and supervisors. My name is Jim Gilliam. I serve as the chair of the San Diego County Arts and Culture Commission, and I'm here, to firmly say thank you so much for bringing this initiative forward. The commission has, since its inception three years ago, been very earnest in developing ideas for programs and what is needed at the county level. We've been doing evaluations of what's in place and what isn't in place.

And truly, the need for individual artists came to the top of the forefront. There's a tremendously robust grant program in community enhancement and neighborhood reinvestment, which fund nonprofit organizations brilliantly and have for many, many years. But what was lacking was support for individual artists. And your legislation today meets that need in a significant and robust way. And I want to commend you for it and and let you know that the commission is in lockstep with the ideas that you brought forward. It's almost as if we wrote it ourselves. So we're delighted by that, and I wanna thank you for that.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Hello. My name is Charlene O'Keefe, and it is my honor to serve on the county's commission for arts and culture. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to support the arts in District 2 and advise on arts and culture matters throughout San Diego County. I strongly support the proposed initiative and respectfully urge you to vote in favor of this important item. This initiative represents a meaningful investment in the economic vitality, identity, and well-being of our communities while recognizing the critical role that artists and cultural practitioners play across the region.

The proposed investment in artist grants, creative spaces, cultural districts, and community based programming will help ensure that residents and artists, particularly in rural and unincorporated areas, are not left behind. These programs will strengthen local economies, increase community connection, and expand access and meaningful cultural experiences for communities that have too often been under resourced in the arts and culture ecosystem. Thank you so much for your support today.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Hello. I love the arts. I am Ardell Matthews, and I've been in San Diego for sixty years. And so, here is a space ideal for art and culture, just sitting there waiting for development. San Diego African American Museum of Fine Arts to be the coordinator that citizens will enjoy activities, friends meeting, mothers, grandmothers with little ones enjoying San Diego outside in the cool of the sun, their choice, bringing aesthetics a bright star promoting our neighborhood.

Let the art show as art should. There is this place of beauty, of grass, of trees, and shade, and dedicated space. I taught at San Diego's School of Creative and Performing Arts for twenty years. I have seen what art can do for young minds open to receive.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Your time is up. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you. As the next speaker is coming forward, I'll invite three additional speakers. Gady Finney, Denise Webb, and Dajon Blevins. If I've called your name, please come forward.

Hello. Thank you for having me. My name is Derek Banks. I'm the owner and operator Freshly Faded Barbershop here in San Diego. I'm a long time resident of the Encanto neighborhood and also a proud homeowner. This initiative means so much to me. It means so much to the residents of the area and my children. I love to walk the nine blocks in this district, and just seeing it transform over the years has been near and dear to my heart. I feel that growing up in this area, just latching onto the arts has been transformative. It takes us places that nothing else can besides traveling.

It expands the consciousness of the people in my community, and it gives us it we are the heartbeat of the community. So having this arts and culture district is very, very important, and I hope you guys take that into consideration. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Good day. I'm Gayedee Finney, the executive director of the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art. I wanna thank the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, especially the chair and supervisor Montgomery stepped for recognizing that arts and culture are essential to a healthy community. In 2022, our museum was named the manager entity managing entity of the San Diego Black Arts and Culture District. It was an important step forward, but it came without the funding needed needed to fully activate it.

Today begins to change that. This investment is about more than dollars. It's about giving artists the support that they deserve, creating space for our stories, and making sure our community has access to meaningful and cultural experiences. What does this mean in practice? It means paying artists for their work. It means free programs for youth. It means exhibitions and public art that reflect the history and culture of this community. This is how you build something that lasts. We are grateful for this commitment. We recently completed our strategic plan, and we are ready to deliver. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon. My name is Denise Webb of Raymo residence. We purchased and renovated a mixed use building in the San Diego Black Arts And Culture District and named it the Block Club, offering free coworking and event space for our community. I chose this location because of the history of arts and culture music, the Encanto Street Fair, and I wanted to be part of bringing that back to our community. Since we opened in March 2025, we have hosted over 100 free arts and culture and educational events proving that the arts and culture is needed and wanted in San Diego.

The arts and culture funding that is being cut from the city budget supports these programs. The community has shown its need for such a space to gather and to regain social identity through events and arts activities. We and other organizations like ours depend on the funding to operate. These programs has helped develop our children's, generate economic activities, support our business communities.

Thank and bring you. Before the next speaker begins, I'll invite the remaining speakers in person, Simon Hannah, Michael Camacho, and Bob Lehman. If I've called your name, please come forward.

Greetings. My name is Dehan Blevins. I'm the commissioner for arts and culture with city of San Diego and the CEO of San Diego Urban Warriors. San Diego stands as a significant city in The United States, and it is essential that we enhance our respect for and celebration of African American contributions, culture, art, and heritage. Support our Kuujichagulia, the right in self determination, name defining, creating, and advocating for ourselves through the arts.

By doing so, we set examples and provide support that elevates appreciation for black culture, art heritage, entertainment, and even tourism. Our goal is to foster self empowerment and build a future where the world gathers to celebrate the black diaspora. We need financial support for improving the quality of life in the 4th District and creating opportunities for healing and restoration of our collective identity, and building a sense of community. Kuji Chagalea, thank you very much, and please vote

for us.

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon. My name is Simon Hanna. I'm the director of development at Manly Mozart and a proud resident of San Diego County. Today, I'm particularly proud to be a resident of San Diego County and so grateful to be here at this historic moment. I am really just so grateful that you are having such a vision for arts and culture. I moved to The United States at age eight and growing up as a low income immigrant in a big family, arts and culture is where I found myself, where I belonged, and where ultimately I feel as is the goal with our arts education programs is how the arts help young people grow up to be healthy, happy, contributing members of their community. I appreciate what you're doing, and please vote for this. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker please.

Hello. My name is Michelangelo Camacho. I live in District 3 Terre Lawson Remmer's District. Hello, hello. And I am the director of program sense for San Diego art matters.

I can tell you guys are have been really informed on a lot of the economic impacts that arts and culture but I'd like to share a few more facts that may not have been called out of what the economic impacts there are for investing and recognizing that arts and culture investing it also is an investment in the community. So, quick facts is in terms of audience spending. Audience spend over 500 millions in on event related activities like dining parking and childcare boosting local business. This is aside from just actually going to the show. Like when they go to the show they spend on these other things as well.

In terms of tax revenue, at least at the city level, arts nonprofits generate estimated 100,000,000 plus in local and state government revenue. In terms of tourism and retention, over 35% of non local attendees cite the event as their primary reason for visiting while local arts keep residents discretiony dollars within the community. So thank you for yeah. Bye.

Thank you. Before the next speaker begins, I'll call our final speaker in person, Carlos Christiani.

Good afternoon, chair Lawson Reamer, vice chair Mike, Monica Montgomery Steppen, supervisors. My name is Bob Layman. I'm the executive director of San Diego Art Matters, vice chair of the San Diego County Arts and Culture Commission, former executive director of San Diego Museum Council. I wanna sincerely thank chair Lawson Reamer and vice chair Stepp for your leadership in creating the county's first dedicated line item supporting arts and culture. This is a historic investment, an important statement of the kind of region we want to be.

Over the last six years, I've had the opportunity to work with artists, museums, theaters, cultural organizations, community groups across San Diego County and throughout Baja California. I've seen firsthand how arts and culture create connection, opportunity, economic activity in communities and they're too often overlooked. This investment reaches both urban neighborhoods and our rural and unincorporated communities. It supports equity across access, local identity, tourism, small business development, and throughout the region. Thank you for your support in the effort, for leading by example for cities across the county, and for recognizing arts and culture as essential infrastructure for our region's future.

Thank you. And our final speaker, please.

Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Carlos Cristiano on behalf of San Diego Art Matters. The arts and culture community expresses enormous gratitude to chair Lawson Remmer and vice chair Montgomery Stepp for bringing this item forward. Investing in arts and culture is not only a reflection of who we are as a county, it is also a recognition of the public benefit that these investments bring to the community, especially in in unincorporated areas.

At a time when community life is under direct attack, we need to know that arts and culture is employment opportunities, addresses housing constraints, arts and culture is mental health, arts and culture is support for veterans, youth development, Arts and culture is a system of support for the communities in which we live. Arts and culture also allows us to see ourselves, others, and the world around us under a different light. This opens channels of sustainable dialogue, understanding, and belonging. Thank you so much.

Thank you. We'll now hear from the individuals that requested to speak by phone. We'll start with our first caller.

Hey, Truth. Tara, the socialist New Deal County building is ugly, and the alkaline mural is talking about Mexicans stealing parts of America is really inspiring to racist and communist. This political theater, Makarovah, is not about the arts. It's really about giving a kickback to the international alliance of theatrical stage employees. The professional propagandists and campaign donors to this corrupt board has admitted, it's almost like we wrote this item ourselves. The untalented who burst in a high pitched jealousy filled murmuring when they hear talent like myself speak just like Manuela Paloma does. I always support art, but I never support fakes and fascists. Because when government is paying your arts tab, that's how you know it's all gonna be corporate crap. It's yet another $2,500,000 bailout for the city of San Diego. Monica's focused on their black district while ignoring Lemongroves and Spring Valley that are way more diverse.

Omanuela's focused on funding sewage polluters in Mexico because we don't already know that this board hates American citizens. If this board was doing its job correctly, the local economy would be doing great and no artist would need your help. Sounds like a system of control rather than one of creativity.

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Yeah. I wonder if you're gonna

be bailing out the city of San Diego with, an initiative like this because the city of San Diego cut the arts and culture and even parks and rec and all the things that, you know, would keep a community kinda sane, and that's the problem with these entities being in control of the government is that you guys make or break whether or not they happen. There's plenty of money for them to happen. But because you guys are negligent with our the money that people, you know, just work very hard to give you, and, you know, you're the gatekeepers of whether or not our communities are gonna thrive. And, unfortunately, they're not, and it's your fault. But I guarantee you, you're probably gonna have something coming in.

That's why Henry Foster's staff is there so that, you know, he can go in and and try and get it from the county, but not, you know, doing it in in his own city because of a negligent mayor, but also a negligent council that has been, you know, racketeering. So it's like it's just sad that people have to come and beg you.

Yep. We'll hear from the next caller.

Yeah. My name is Rachel. Tara, if you're gonna pander to the Latino community, you might wanna get your facts straight. It's Chicano Park and the Cesar Chavez Parkway, which is probably already gone now and maybe back to Dewey Street. But why are you bailing out Foster's District?

Is it because the own their own community can't go to him because he screams at them? Why are you bailing out people when people are struggling to with two jobs and can't make the rent? What fiscal responsibility is this? And why are you catering to only one race and ethnicity? It doesn't make sense because well, maybe it does because you're bailing out the city of San Diego who can't manage your own finances. They ruined it. The rest of us didn't. We deal with our our shortfalls, and we take the hit. We don't we don't have anybody to come and bail us out like the rest of the

You you hear from the next caller.

A waste of money. There are community efforts already there in place like our center in Chula Vista or the one you approved in Mira Mesa. The board member's letter mentions shifting audience behaviors. How will you control it? Psychotropic drag, perhaps? It mentions our district. That that never stopped us. Most artists have an impulse to create with or without fancy infrastructure. We have the resources to do this already. The county has deficit.

You may be end up having to cut necessary or emergency services. The money for these may not be there when it's needed. Save your money for real priorities, not imagined ones. Maybe you should ask a psychologist.

We'll hear from the next caller.

Okay. Consuelo here, and amen to all the previous callers. Clearly, they're paying attention, and a lot of people in the audience are not, and they're not aware of what this corrupt board does, week after week to our county. Anyways, okay. Truly meaningful art will not support, will not be supported. Okay? There will be more money, there would be more money for the arts if this board had it squandered it, with our tax dollars on any and everything but our core priorities. They'll stand up here and talk about supporting the arts, but what they really are promoting is curated messaging, art that fits a narrative. Pay attention, people. Art that divides.

Art that keeps people distracted instead of connected. You don't get support if you're an independent artist with a real voice. You get silenced. You get filtered out because this isn't about creativity. Again, it's about control. Wake up. They'll cut

Mhmm. We'll hear from the next caller.

Hey. This especially coming from Monica just shows the hypocrisy and basically bullshit item that this is because she refuses to acknowledge the art that Julian Brown has been creating. Natural, insect repellent, deodorants. Why did you go ahead and convert plastic into fuel and low grade carbon, which could be used to create batteries? You have no interest in ours.

Absolutely none. You have interest in spreading a stupid ass message that gets everyone hurt. That's a fact. The fact that you can't really go ahead and stop me anymore just proves my point a little bit further. I would like it, and eventually, at some point, that you recognize the fact that you lost. Admit it and have a conversation. Let's go ahead and fix these problems. Instead of being a complete and total, you know, can't understand normal thinking, then

Thank you. We'll hear from the next caller.

Cassandra Ebbing, I do love the arts and culture. I think it's definitely the best thing we can do to drive revenue in, city and county, but I think that we have a huge disconnect between the city and the county. We have hundreds of residents crying literally all week long at the budget meetings about the custom accent culture. And one of the things that came up is that we aren't charging for filming locations in San Diego for 500 filming opportunities. That is outrageous.

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. Literally can't believe that this is who's running our city right now, but the money that could have come in from those filming locations could have funded this plus so much more. So whoever's run a business effectively for a number of years and has experience with that driving revenue, please take over for Todd Borea because this guy has no idea what he's doing, and we're watching children be destroyed over the thought that they're not gonna have all arts, all through libraries, public spaces, and

You hear from the next caller.

Good afternoon, board of supervisors. Anne Riddle here. As it happens, and perhaps someone just, was referring to this, the city of San Diego is also looking at arts and culture experiences and creative opportunity for everyone as we speak, and it's been going on for at least three hours. We don't have that sort of communication opportunities, it seems like, to the residents out here in the unincorporated area. And I don't think it's because we don't want to communicate with you about art and culture and creative opportunity.

It's because you haven't been transparent with us about what's on the agenda in a way that we can utilize and then speak to you about it. And our lack of number of people speaking to this item sort of demonstrates that. In fact, the difference between the city of San Diego and the county of San Diego and the way citizens can participate is striking. But I would like to take this opportunity to share my

Thank you. We'll hear from the final caller.

Good afternoon, board of supervisors. My name is Olympia Vasquez Zucora, and I am the interim executive director at A Reason to Survive, also known as ART, a twenty five year old nonprofit organization rooted in National City District 1 that centers voices, creativity, and power of young people. Every day, we see how access to arts and culture transform lives. For young people across on South County, the arts are not just enrichment. They're essential.

They're a pathway to confidence, a space for self expression, and a way to build connection and belonging. Through murals, festivals, performance, and rehearsals, young people in our programs build sanctuaries every day. Investing in arts and culture at the county level is an investment in equity and in the future of our communities. It ensures the young people, regardless of zip code, have the opportunity to imagine, create, and lead. Thank you for championing this historic investment for arts and culture in shaping a stronger, more connected region.

Thank you. Chair Lawson Riemer, that concludes public comment on this item.

Okay. Thank you all very much. Do any of my colleagues have any comments? Chair Pro Tem.

Thank you, chair. First, I wanna thank you and the vice chair for bringing this item forward. It's a very important issue that merits our attention. I'm really excited to support this item because it recognizes something that is deeply true about San Diego County, that arts and culture are part of who we are. We shape our neighborhoods, tell our stories, preserve our histories, bring people together, and help define the identity of this region.

And as someone mentioned during public comment, it also is a very serious economic driver. When we invest in arts and culture, we're investing in local talent, local jobs, small businesses, tourism, neighborhood activation, and the creative workers who make our communities vibrant. In District 1, this is something we've been very proud to support as well. Today, our office has invested in more than 18 arts and cultural organizations totaling almost $235,000. Investing in arts and culture is an investment in people. It's an investment in talent. It's an investment in the artist, organizers, cultural workers, and community institutions that make our neighborhood stronger and more connected.

I

have just one friendly minor suggested addition to the great recommendations that have been put forward. After speaking to artists, one of the things that was raised to me was the the lack of the ability to navigate the system, if you will. Right? Many artists many great artists have come from, you know, underserved or disenfranchised communities that may not have the necessary tools to build a successful business, for example, around their art. Right?

It's important to be able to be creative and be artistic, but I think having the ability to develop a business around that to help navigate the grant application process, receiving financial literacy support are all important elements that these programs that you have suggested and and and the recommendations may address, but helping people get into them, I think would be an an added a minor add addition that I think could be helpful to this proposal. So if Andrew can display my my recommended friendly amended language, it would be added to recommend at the end of recommendation one that would address some of the things I just mentioned.

Thank you very much for having a it drafted so we could always get it.

So I know there's a motion and a second on the floor Hoping this could be

So this would be part of one a?

Yeah. At the end. It's an addition.

Mhmm.

So for those who may not initially meet the program requirements or may need additional support to be able to successfully participate with a special focus on, you know, receiving technical assistance, financial literacy and training, business development assistance, grant readiness.

I I think it's a great idea. I would not wanna eat into the kind of relatively small amount that's there for for one a, which is meant really to go straight to the artist themselves as opposed to to technical assistance. But I would be open to sort of, like, a restructured amendment that did not eat into that existing budget line item. Like, if you wanted to put more money in the program or something else, I'd add that I think it's a good idea. I just don't wanna eat in like it's already yours.

That makes sense. Yeah. That makes sense. And I honestly, I don't know if that would be the case, I guess.

I mean, the way that this is written, right, it's direct funding to artists and cultural workers. It's about grant support, and it's multi month month funding opportunities. So the way that one a is written is very much like a to distribute the funds. So this, if we had a referral, technical assistance, and applicant ready process, that would have to but it was under one a, the way the one a is currently written. Mhmm. That would then eat into the budget in one a because that you'd have to pay for that somehow.

Could we consider then increasing the amount?

I'm I'm in very open. I I don't wanna speak for my colleague. I just I would say I think this is, like, a lovely idea. I just would not wanna eat into the existing amount that's that's allocated. Maybe we could get the vice chair on the Yeah.

I don't Yeah. To this process or effort. It's really just to bring attention to some of these gaps that have been expressed to me by some artists.

Yes. Thank you, chair Pro Tem, for that additional insight because it certainly is direct funding to the artist. It's just that if we keep the same pool, right, of artists and we're, you know, and we're not expanding out, it it kinda defeats the purpose too. Right? So I I I get this.

I am thinking several things. One is, can we add this now and, like, talk about it in our budget conversations, how we'll kind of fill in the gap, one. Or two, restructure it for now and then bring it back up during budget discussions. Or three, ask staff to see if there are programs that, these services can be augmented under, like our, the small business, more recent, programming and and direction that we've given staff with regard to small businesses and nonprofits and just generally making it better and easier and expanding that scope and widening that net. Because I think if the direction is clear, like, all want to do that.

Right? We have money here awarding out over a billion dollars annually, and we just wanna make sure that as many people as possible know how to navigate the system. So those are the things I'm thinking about. I'm okay with it as it is. I think we can work through it and work it out. I don't know that we have to put and maybe this is a question for, counsel or or or the chair can weigh in on this, but maybe we don't have to put a direct amount to it right now, but we can make sure in the budget conversations that this the money that is currently in the board letter is going for the specified purpose, under you know, based on what the board based on what the board letter recommendations are.

Let me just propose a way forward. I think it it's just it's more I think the core of it is great. I think it's more where it sits. I think it's adding it to recommendation one a that's creating the the issue in my view because then it's structurally part of the 1,000,000 that's being allocated. I think it makes more sense to put it under two, direct the CAO to essentially invest in funding and staff administrative capacity. And then we could adding to, like, two maybe instead of 250,000, we say 280,000 or something. That's a great And then we put this kind of this language in two with, like, a little bit of additional funding to implement.

I think that's perfect.

Okay. So that I I would definitely accept that as a friendly amendment. I think that would I think it would I I think it was more where it was sitting.

That makes sense. Yeah. Yeah.

And then may I guess

Okay.

Does that make sense, vice chair?

Yes. Yes. And I I completely agree. And just to the point of making sure we expand this across the county, this is a regional approach. Right? And so it is not a response or reaction to anything else that's going on. It is a regional approach, and I think this would make it you know, put us put sort of an exclamation point on that even more. So yes.

Okay. Great. So then why don't we add it to recommendation two? And, I guess the question would be for Joan. Do you think right now, there's 250,000 allocated. Do you think you would need additional resources beyond that two fifty if we added these additional activities? Would we need to up that to, you know, maybe $2.75 or something? I mean, it's really a question, like, operationally, how to how to make sure that that doesn't get short shrift.

Yeah. So I'll just go ahead and answer it, and then I'll look at our deputy director from the economic development and government affairs as I'm talking. Certainly, I think that additional capacity will help to provide expanded services as it relates to administration of the initiative that's outlined in this board letter. I will note that there are, as the vice chair had noted that there are existing services that may have some overlap with what the chair pro tem had mentioned. And so it would be to look and see where we might be able to respond to to provide that kind of technical and financial literacy assistance and and where it may already reside within the county infrastructure.

So, certainly, more capacity will provide more breathing room. I think the estimate in here, it's noted in the board letter I saw that it is preliminary and that as we determine where the initiative will be implemented, if it's so directed today, as as that gets built up, there'll be updated updates as to the administrative, where it's gonna be placed, and and the actual cost as well.

Okay. Then maybe we leave it as is, but with clarity that if additional resources are needed, that they're included in the the budget. Okay. Yeah. Great. Thank you, supervisor Desmond, for your patience.

Oh, thank you. Okay. Well, thanks everybody for coming down and talking here today. I appreciate it. I'm not opposed to the idea of establishing an arts program. When I was mayor of San Marcos, we actually established an art art program. But, you know, we cover the unincorporated area. And many of the speakers here today were from the sandy City Of San Diego region. I know there was a few others, but most of the City Of San Diego. And I don't believe that the county should come in and rescue what the City Of San Diego is is dropping.

That that's not up to the county residents to do. Each city should have its own arts program and then manage that program within their budget. And we actually have each one of us, county supervisors, we get a couple million bucks a year that we get to give out in grants to, we have neighborhood reinvestment grants. We have, community enhancement grants, dollars that we're able to give out. And I I really believe that's where this type of money, if we're gonna go beyond the unincorporated areas, that that should be coming from.

So I believe there's some major flaws with the initiative as it is. This is an ongoing $2,750,000 proposal, ongoing every year. And it's probably gonna go up every year by a certain percentage, but it with no real actual deliverables. Nobody can tell where this money is actually going. Yes. If it's going to artists, but is it for a sculpture? Is it for a a a mural? There's no nothing defined here to what it's going to. So there's no metrics. There's no accountability.

There's no guardrails. You know, nothing feeling good about ourselves other so I I we answer to the taxpayers, and we have to be held accountable, and we have to deliver. And and it's it's hard to deliver on something that sometimes is abstract. So a lot of this money isn't being spent on a project or any project. It's basically being given away. It's $1,000,000 for grants for individual artists with no what are they gonna do with it? What are they gonna deliver? What what's gonna happen? And then $2,250,000 for binational creative economy, whatever that

means,

and projects that we people can't define. And then there's half $1,000,000 to one specific group in the city with no deliverable. I mean, I I wanna have arts. I we we need to have arts, but, you know, we can't be one of the also that we gotta ask a $250,000 to embed artists in county departments. So instead of a building permit, you're gonna get an interpretive dance or something. You know? We we we can't be we have to have some more guide guidelines for this. Are they gonna be employees? Are they gonna be contract people? Are they gonna be full time, part time?

None of that detail is in here. So we don't know if people are gonna it's this is just go ahead and implement it. So I can't know, what's county fire gonna do with with an artist? We it it's not right for us to go ahead and direct the CAO to implement this program without established criteria that qualifies and specifically says how money will be spent. This is how fraud starts.

Government dollars go out the door, and we don't have guardrails, or metrics or something to be able to say where and how the money is being spent, then we're not answering to the tax taxpayers. I love the arts, but let's have something being created that we can invest in as opposed to just the artists themselves. If we do do a program, I think it should be it should be for the unincorporated area only. The And unincorporated area could use some art artwork. I know there's many of the cities wanna have those those beautiful arches that come you know, go over the over the road and announce, you know, you're in Valley Center or you're in Alpine and things like that.

We weren't able to get any funding for those types of things. So we ants we work for the unincorporated areas. And the this this city of San Diego cut its art budget by $12,000,000. 12,000,000. It was at 14,000,000. So it's just a little over 2,000,000 now. They cut it because, unfortunately, it wasn't a top priority for them. They cut it, in my opinion, because they mismanaged their budget for years. And now it's coming home to roost, and, unfortunately, the arts got cut. But we can't be the entity for the entire county to be the, you know, the, to backfill those programs that other cities choose to defund.

That's not our job, and we're not the city's the City Of San Diego's ATM. When the floods hit in the South Crest and the Mountain View area in the City Of San Diego, we, the county, showed up. They didn't improve their infrastructure. They didn't clear out the big the culverts that carries the water, and and about 600 homes got flooded. We, the county, stepped forward with $30,000,000 to do their job because they didn't keep up with their infrastructure. And that's the basics. That's what they should be taking care of. So I think if the county keeps backfilling every every program the city can't handle or can't manage, we're never gonna stop. We're never gonna stop writing checks. They're just gonna depend on us to to bail them out.

We're being told that, you know, we need to raise taxes here. What you know, the county doesn't have enough money. And earlier today and then even yesterday, you know, the this board balked at freezing housing permit costs to the tune of about $200 is what it was gonna cost to not increase housing permits or housing review costs. But this one is $2,750,000 to bail out the city of San Diego. You know, we we can't just keep shoveling money out the door to cover for San Diego City Hall.

We can't. You know, the necessities are are deputies on patrol, fire breaks before the next wire wildfire, psychiatric beds for fentanyl crisis, roads that don't tear up your car. Our arts grants for individual artists are good, but they're without a deliverable. To me, it's not a necessity. We I do support the art programs.

We do need them, but I'm against this board letter here that really doesn't specify the deliverables, and it's an ongoing program. 2,750,000 this year, next year, yes, next year, and the year after that. I can't support this item today. I love the arts. I want the arts, but I think it's up to the individual cities and not the county to be the stop gap and for types of projects and programs that the county decided or I'm sorry, the city of San Diego decided to fund. Thank you very much.

Thank you. I I would like to note that the proposal makes it very clear that there are to be very specific guidelines that that so the notion that there would be programs without clear guidelines of how the money would be utilized is false and incorrect.

It's see that.

Well, maybe you should read. But and it clearly didn't since it says it. I can read it to you. It says, the San Diego County Arts and Cultural Commission shall serve as the advisory body for the implementation and ongoing support of this initiative, including program design criteria and community engagement. This directs the chief administrative officer to implement the program as outlined below in consultation with the to the relevant departments.

And then in the next section, later, it says annual return to the board. Direct the CAO to return to the board annually each January. We are reading section j of number one. To deliver what? To the annual return shall conclude, but not be limited to, updates on the implementation of the artist grant program, including funding distribution program reach and participation, as well as updates on the development of the artist income program. Updates on the implementation, I could re I mean, if

this is ready program, the program, the program, the program. What's the deliverable?

The, sir, the charge you levied was that there was no program design, and there was no program guidelines.

There's no no deliverable.

This is a set of program guidelines. You can disagree about the deliverable. You can believe that artists are not important to invest in, but please do not make false charges that there's no program guidelines included in the in the Okay. Well, we could litigate that further, but first, you'd have to read the documents. I read the documents. But we're now gonna go

ahead and go.

Documents, and I didn't see any deliverable chair. If you're gonna you just you can't just say call me a name or or come at me and then just turn off the mic. Sorry. Not gonna put up with that.

Supervisor Desmond? Your vote? We're gonna take voice votes. Thank you.

Oh, okay. No.

Thank you. Chair Pro Temagary?

Yes.

Vice Chair Montgomery Stepp?

Yes.

And Chair Lawson Reamer?

Yes.

That motion passes with supervisor Desmond voting no. All other supervisors who are present voting aye.

Okay. Thank you very much. Do we have any thank you all. But no clapping in the chamber. Sorry. We cannot clap. You can clap outside. Do we have any additional comments or have we gone through all of our non agenda? All

of the request for non agenda public communication has been completed this morning.

Okay. Then this meeting is adjourned.

Next regular meeting of the board will take place on Tuesday, May 19 at 9AM.